Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Agriculture Martin Kenny TD has
said that the decision of the High Court to award €124, 000, plus most of his
legal costs to a Tipperary farmer after his inspection proved to be “flawed” is
significant for many farmers who feel aggrieved by Department decisions and
believe that their appeals were not properly handled.

The Sligo-Leitrim TD continued:

“The decision of the High Court to award €124, 000, plus
most of his legal costs to a Tipperary farmer after his inspection proved to be
flawed is significant for many farmers who feel aggrieved by Department
decisions and believe that their appeals were not properly handled.

“The case may yet be appealed by the Department, but it will
be interesting to see what defence can be made for not providing a control
report after the inspection when that is a stated regulation according to EU
procedure.

“It is significant that the court ordered payment to the
farmer of his withheld SFP, while allowing that the commonage portion of the
land was not, in fact, eligible, further emphasising the court's recognition of
the importance of procedure and conduct of appeals.

“The whole issue points to the need for an appeals board which
would be independent of the Department and which could hold the Department to
account.